


Kickin' It

by carneisespanol



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Boarding School, F/F, F/M, Football | Soccer, M/M, Marauders, Remus and Marlene friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29742291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carneisespanol/pseuds/carneisespanol
Summary: Remus gets a scholarship to a fancy new boarding school where he meets three charming fellows: James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. Follow Moony as he tackles school, football, relationships, and secrets all at onceThis is basically a Muggle High School Soccer AU. gonna be a bit heavy on soccer/football terms and description once they actually get to playing. This is my first fic ever so I really hope you enjoy this, please feel free to leave feedback in the comments I appreciate anything.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 19
Kudos: 21





	1. Welcome to Hogwarts

“Got everything you need, dear?”

“Yes, Mum.”

Remus swung his duffle bag into the backseat of his mother’s car with a final, heaving sigh. Only this morning had he been able to scrounge up every single last belonging he thought he would need for the year ahead. Packing had never been easy for Remus, though. He tended to overthink quite a lot, and when he wouldn’t be home till Christmas, he had to be thinking a bit more than usual to make sure he wouldn’t leave anything of even the smallest importance behind.

Remus’ mother, Hope, didn’t seem too convinced. “You’re _sure_ you have everything? You know I won’t be able to bring anything up once you realize you’ve forgot,” She caressed the silver hood of her car wistfully. “I don’t think poor Tessie’ll be up to making this journey more than twice a year.”

Remus let out a laugh. “I think this drive alone will surely be putting Tess through her paces. And _yes,_ I know I have everything. I made a list and checked everything off.” He pulled a scrap of paper from his pant pocket and thrust it into her free hand. “See for yourself.”

His mother tore her rapt attention from her car and studied her son’s careful writing, eyes roving up and down repeatedly. After half a minute, she nodded in defeat. “Alright, you’ve been rather thorough. Shall we get on the road, then?”

Remus hesitated, one foot pointed back toward the front door. “You know what,” he began. “Let me just do one more quick sweep of the house, make sure there won’t be anything I’m missing.”

Hope’s mouth tilted up at the corners in an understanding smile. “Of course, I’ll start the car while you do that.” She moved around to the driver’s seat and popped open the door.

As she slid into the seat, Remus jogged back to the house that until now, he had lived in alone with his mother. He exhaled in a worried sigh as he thought about his mum returning here after they had separated. Returning to an empty home.

He shook his head from side to side, attempting to rid his mind of negative thoughts as he surveyed his home one last time. His gaze slid from the cluttered but cozy living room to the bright kitchen where he and Hope had often engaged in cooking competitions. A single, dwindling line of thinking in his head reminded him that they hadn’t happened quite as frequently since the injury. He closed his eyes breathed deeply as he imagined that troublesome notion as a simple cloud passing by, until it was far out of sight.

After a few seconds of careful deliberation, Remus decided not to go look at his bedroom again. He was quite sure that if he entered it again, he’d have a hell of a lot of trouble making sure he went back down to the car.

So he locked up quickly, in an effort to force himself back to the driveway where his mother’s head was hanging outside the car window. “Ready, Remus?”

He nodded in earnest and hopped into the passenger seat. Hope put the car into drive and they were off. He snuck a peek back at his house through the side mirror, but quickly snapped his gaze away. No hesitating. None of that.

Hope looked at him sideways nervously for a split second, then reached to turn the stereo on. By default, it was set to a popular radio station, on which an upbeat pop song that Remus vaguely recognized began to blast through the car speakers. He grimaced and quickly grabbed the aux cord to plug his phone in. Remus got onto Spotify and shuffled the playlist he had deigned to play when his mother was in the car. David Bowie’s “ _Lady Stardust_ ” interrupted the radio song and he leaned back into his seat, content.

“Good thing I can depend on you to play some proper music,” Hope chuckled, head bobbing to the tune.

Remus was out cold not long after the drive began. In truth, he had stayed up half the night packing and worrying about the next day. What would it be like at this new school? Would he be able to make any friends? Was he going to try out for the football team? Did this school even _have_ a football team?

Then, at about 3am, he’d decided he would cross those bridges when he came to them, and had finally dozed off. Unfortunately, Remus was the type of boy who needed at least nine hours of sleep to come even close to properly functioning, and the measly four hours he’d salvaged had resulted in his current state.

——————————

Hope shook Remus’ shoulder, causing him to jerk abruptly awake. “We’re here,” she said gently, pointing to a building up ahead.

Remus’ eyes widened in awe. The pictures he’d seen on the school website were nice, but they didn’t nearly do the institution justice. It looked like a castle. No, it just _was_ a castle. Hogwarts Boarding School sat atop a sprawling courtyard, several large towers reaching multiple stories pointed high towards the sky.

His jaw was still hanging as Hope pulled into a nearly empty parking lot off to the side of the school and stopped the car. There was a man stationed at a gate with a trolley on the other side of the lot, and when they exited the car, he strode up to meet them. He could have been a tall fellow, but had an enormous slouch. His skin was very creased and wrinkly, while his scraggly grey hair hung in unflattering knots.

“My name’s Mr. Filch, and I’ll be bringing your things and taking you to the headmaster’s office.” He gestured to the car’s trunk. Hope quickly unlocked it and lifted up the door. Filch started to load Remus’ luggage onto the trolley. An easy job, really; Remus didn’t like to keep too many things. Once he was finished, Hope locked the doors and they set off on a brisk walk behind Mr. Filch to the school.

“It looks _magical_ , almost” Hope mused. Remus hummed agreeably.

Filch took them through a large door and then led the way down an empty corridor. The inside was even better; the ceilings and windows were super high, and lit lanterns dotted the walls. Remus’ head swiveled around, trying to drink in every detail.

It wasn’t long until Filch stopped by a small alcove where there appeared to be a set of stairs spiraling up into an unknown room. “I’ll be taking these into your new dormitory,” Filch rasped, waving at the trolley. “Professor Dumbledore’s just up these stairs.” With that, he turned and was off.

Remus and Hope looked at each other, then started to climb the stairs. It was a short flight, and soon they found themselves at another door, which opened at their arrival to reveal a man, which Remus could only guess was the aforementioned Professor Dumbledore.

He was a tall, wizened man with long silver hair and matching beard. Half moon spectacles were perched on the tip of his long, hooked nose. Behind them twinkled searching blue eyes. He wore a brown tweed suit and a matching green tie. Remus snickered inwardly, as he thought the getup was a bit interesting when combined with the headmaster’s long hair.

Dumbledore extended a hand to Remus. “Hello, Mr. Lupin, it is wonderful to meet you at last.” His voice was soft and kind, and Remus shook the man’s hand firmly. Dumbledore turned to Hope. “And this must be your lovely mother,” He shook her hand in turn, while Hope blushed.

The professor stepped back into his office and motioned for the mother and son to follow. “Come in! We have just a little bit to discuss before I can send you off to begin term here. There’s some licorice available if you would like.” He glided across the room to go sit behind his desk, while Remus and Hope sat in the chairs stationed on the other side. Dumbledore surveyed a few papers on his desk before shuffling them up and handing them to Remus.

“As you can see, Mr. Lupin, mostly everything has been sorted for you already, there is simply the matter of confirming what classes you are registering for in order to ensure that you are in compliance with the terms of your academic scholarship. Another round of congratulations for your achievement, by the way. You’ll find a list of the requirements and the available courses for you to choose from on that first page. Just check off the ones you’d like to do.”

Remus looked down at the paper. He was starting Year 11, so he needed to take one English, one maths, one science, one social science, one language, one art, and one physical education block. He scanned the selection of classes he was able to choose from. He ticked off Year 11 French, World Literature, Trigonometry/Algebra II, Advanced Biology, First Year Psychology, and Year 11 Phys Ed. More reluctantly, he checked off Pottery for his art choice. He’d never been good at art, but maybe something hands on would work better for him.

“Excellent, excellent,” Dumbledore murmured as Remus passed back his choices to theteacher. “I’ll have one of your new teachers pass on your schedule at breakfast first thing tomorrow morning. Now, I trust you remember the sorting test that you took after you had received admission to Hogwarts?”

Remus nodded. The so-called Sorting Test had been a grueling ten-page packet full of short answer prompts asking about his personality, likes, dislikes, things like that. The packet had taken him several days to complete. He’d never really liked those kinds of personality tests; he wasn’t quite sure who he was yet and he didn’t want to have to tell random strangers who he thought he might be. It didn’t feel right.

“We’ve concluded you would fare best at Gryffindor during your time here,” Dumbledore continued kindly. “So you’ll be sharing a dormitory with three other boys, also in Gryffindor. Your uniform has already been sent up there, and I can guess that Mr. Filch has also been able to bring your possessions to your room as well. And that’s all we have to sort out.” He eyed Hope and Remus both. “So now’s the time to say goodbye, I’m afraid. I’ll wait outside until you’re ready to go.” He stood from his desk and exited the office swiftly.

Hope’s arms were around Remus at once. “I’m so excited for you, dear,” she whispered into neck. “You’re going to do great here.” She pulled back and looked up into her son’s eyes. “Are you nervous?”

Remus shook his head in an attempt to soothe her. “No, I’m feeling great about it all, actually,” he lied through his teeth. “Just as excited as you.”

Hope rested her hands on his shoulders. “Try not to let last year get to you,” she murmured. “Doctor and PT said you’re completely healed, and you’ve been training all summer without a hitch. Don’t worry and just do your best, okay? That’s all I can ask you,” she brought Remus into another tight hug. “I love you, Remus.”

“Love you too, Mum.” They stayed like that for a minute, until he finally pulled back and guided his mother outside the office where Dumbledore was waiting. The three of them descended the stairs and the headmaster motioned back down the hallway which Filch had led them down. “Just that way, Mrs. Lupin, and you’ll be able to find the parking lot from there. Safe travels to you.”

Hope looked at her son. “Goodbye, dear, I’ll see you at Christmas.”

“Bye, Mum.”

Once she was gone, Dumbledore turned to Remus. “Come now, Mr. Lupin, and I’ll take you to your dormitory. The students have not yet finished their final lesson of the day, so you might even have some time to unpack and settle in before you’re bombarded by a warm welcome from your fellow classmates.”

Remus thought he didn’t like the idea of being bombarded by anything, but he nodded in assent and followed Dumbledore down a new corridor. At the end of it, they entered what he guessed was one of the towers he had seen from the outside, because inside was another winding staircase. He and Dumbledore continued up this huge stairway, until they reached a door at the top. A small, old-looking keypad was embedded in the wall to the side.

“We’re about to enter the Gryffindor House common room and dormitories,” Dumbledore explained. “To get in, you simply enter the passcode and the door will unlock. The code is scheduled to change every few weeks, to which you’ll be alerted by your Head of House, Professor McGonagall. The current code is 327.”

Remus punched in the code and grabbed the handle to open the door. His eyes bulged as he took in the vast room. It was mostly red; squashy maroon armchairs, sofas, and tables were sprawled throughout the area, and large fireplace stood off to the side. It looked incredibly cozy and reminded Remus somewhat of his own living room. He felt a pang in his chest as he thought of his mother, driving back to that lonely house, but quickly shoved it away.

“Boys dormitories are on the left, girls on the right,” the headmaster continued. “You’ll find your own dormitory two flights up, first door on the right.” He stroked his beard absentmindedly. “I suppose I’ll leave you to it then, Mr. Lupin. Make yourself at home! I expect your roommates will be back up soon. Good luck.” Before Remus could muster out a ‘thank you’ to the old man, he strode out the common room and closed the door with a soft _thunk._

 ****Remus observed the common room for a bit longer, then decided to make his way upstairs. Once he found his dorm, he was pleased to see that all his bags had already been brought up, placed a little haphazardly around one of the four beds he saw. He took a seat at the end of it, taking in the rest of the dorm. It was a bit chaotic, to be frank. Various posters were tacked up over most of the wall space, and there were a lot of clothes strewn about the floor and spilling out of the other three trunks.

While he waited for his mystery dorm mates to make an appearance, Remus began slowly unpacking and moving some of his clothes into his designated dresser. After some deliberation, he gave his football things their own drawer, gazing at some of his old jerseys fondly. He had his own little bookshelf, where he proceeded to place some of the favorite novels he’d brought.

After a bit, Remus checked his phone, and the clock read 3:00pm. Perhaps the final lesson of the day was finished? He strained his ears to see if he could hear the telltale footsteps and chatter of any students, but for naught. He decided he may try to have a quick nap and catch up on some of the sleep he had lost last night. As his head hit the pillow, he exhaled softly and slouched deeper into the mattress. The bed was _really_ comfortable.

“Who the hell are you?!”

Remus jerked awake, eyes wide in both fear and surprise. Three pairs of eyes stared unflinchingly back at him: light hazel, ice blue, and stormy grey. He blinked a few times to regain his bearings. “I’m y-your new roommate,” he replied, yawning widely. “Remus Lupin.”

“Oh, brilliant!” The boy closest to him, with the hazel eyes, gave him a huge grin. He seemed to be only a bit shorter than Remus, had thin framed glasses and unruly black hair that stuck up in all sorts of directions. He stuck out a hand towards Remus, which he shook. “I’m James Potter. These are my mates Sirius Black,” he pointed to the pair of grey eyes, which adorned a pale, slender figure with black hair that curled elegantly below his ears, “and Peter Pettigrew.” He pointed to the third boy, who was short, stout, and had straw blond hair.

Remus nodded at them both. “Cheers.”

James flopped down beside Remus casually, propping himself up on his elbows. “So, where you from? Do you live close? Why’d you come to Hogwarts?”

“Lay off him, Potter, or he’ll be requesting to change dorms any minute now,” the boy Sirius drawled good-naturedly, sending Remus a smirk. He was very good-looking, and held himself with an air that seemed kind of majestic, almost royal. He gave Remus the impression of one of those ancient statues you could maybe find in a local museum. No, a national museum, actually.

“Nah, don’t worry,” Remus reassured the bespectacled boy, relaxing back into the mattress a bit more. “I live pretty far from here. It was a six hour drive, felt like a bloody year. I went to a public school in my town but I got an academic scholarship here before summer started.”

“So you’re like, _smart,_ ” James gushed. “Bloody scholar, you must be. Don’t remember the last time they let a kid in here on an academic scholarship.”

“Not in the years we’ve been here,” Peter added.

Remus shrugged noncommittally. “I mean, I do well in school, but I guess I just know to get the good grades. Suppose it doesn’t hurt that I play football as well.”

The three boys eyes bulged in interest.

“You play football?” James gasped. “That’s brilliant, all three of us play too! We’re on the Gryffindor team.”

“Wait, are there four teams here then?” Remus asked. “One for each, er, House?”

Sirius nodded. “During the fall the four teams at Hogwarts all play each other a few times,” he explained. “and whoever has the best record gets to represent the school in the spring when we play against other teams.”

Remus nodded slowly. “That’s actually really nice. So you guys possible get two seasons if you end up winning here.”

The boys responded with a chorus of “yeahs”. James bit his lip nervously, as if he was itching to ask Remus a question. “What position do you play?” He burst out.

A soft laugh escaped Remus’ throat. “Center midfielder mostly, but I’ve also played defense.”

James and Sirius pumped their fists in the air triumphantly. “That’s so lucky!” Sirius exclaimed. “Our center mid graduated last year and we don’t have anyone to fill his spot.” He eyed Remus gratefully. “I’m starting to think that there was some divine intervention at play in getting you to transfer here, Lupin.” The other three murmured their agreement.

For the next hour, the three resident Gryffindor boys pestered Remus with more questions as he continued to unpack his things. In all honesty, he was surprised how pleasant it was to talk with them and tell them about himself; he had never had much ease with getting to know others and making friends. But James was so easygoing and enthusiastic, Sirius inquisitive and witty, Peter agreeable and open, that it seemed like it would be _difficult_ to stave them off.

“So how about a grand tour of the most magnificent institution of Hogwarts Boarding School?” James suggested charismatically, lunging into a deep bow and swinging his arm in an exaggerated motion.

The corners of Remus’ lips turned up involuntary smile, but he rolled his eyes all the same. “I would be most honored, Mr. Potter.”


	2. Bonjour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick disclaimer I know a solid five words in French so I apologize in advance if it doesn't make sense when they speak it. the only part that is somewhat relevant is when Sirius speaks it and he has one line so doesn't really matter 
> 
> This will not be the last time Sirius mentions his love for Arctic Monkeys and Alex Turner because I am living vicariously through him :)
> 
> I know that Trelawney isn't teaching when the Marauders are at school but I couldn't resist her as the French teacher

The rest of the day consisted of Remus being showed the school by his new friends. He had only really seen a small sliver of the castle, and he was equally blown away by the next corridor as he was the last. Although there was no large amount of students at the school, there seemed to be an endless amount of classrooms and towers to explore.

“I reckon this used to be some kind of prestigious, mysterious university hundreds of years ago,” Peter commented as the group of four eventually made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. “There’s probably enough room here for more than a thousand kids.”

“Why d’you think they turned it into a tiny boarding school?” Remus asked.

“Probably all the rich families in this area wanted to have the illusion they were giving their kids a world class education, so they paid to turn it,” Sirius mused, pulling at the collar of his shirt. Hogwarts students were required to wear uniforms during the day, with sweaters and ties that matched the colors of their designated Houses. Gryffindor wore red and gold, Hufflepuff black and yellow, Ravenclaw blue and bronze, Slytherin green and silver. Secretly, he thought Sirius might have looked a tad better in the Slytherin uniform, but he didn’t say anything. He liked his House colors just fine, and had changed into his own new clothes earlier that afternoon. The new jumper he had donned was a little itchy, and he might have done his tie a little too tight. But he didn’t hate it at all.

“So remind me again why we don’t like Slytherin,” he questioned as they turned into the Great Hall. It was a massive, high-ceilinged dining hall with five long tables: four for each separate House, and one for the staff. Personally, Remus thought the House separation was a little dramatic, given that the groups were solely categorized on the results of a self-reported personality test, but he was not one to complain. His only friends so far were in the same House as him, anyway.

“Here’s the thing,” James began, setting himself down in the middle of the Gryffindor table. Sirius sat beside him while Remus and Peter took seats opposite. “The Sorting Test _says_ people in Slytherin are cunning, ambitious, and resourceful. And yes, I admit, there are a few of them here that fit the description. But honestly, most of them are a bunch of racist, homophobic, prejudiced tossers.” Sirius and Peter nodded grimly.

“I see,” Remus replied.

Three girls who had been sat near them swiveled to stare as Remus spoke. One had deep brown skin and long black hair, one was a pale redhead, and the third a fair skinned blonde.

“Are you new?” The redhead asked politely. Her fiery hair was tied back neatly into two Dutch plaits, and her cheeks were dusted with as assortment of soft freckles.

Remus nodded. “Yeah, my name’s Remus, I just transferred,” he answered. He didn’t miss James ogling a bit noticeably at the girl who had spoken.

“I’m Lily Evans, so nice to meet you!” She responded brightly. “This is Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald,” she introduced, gesturing to the blonde and the black haired girls respectively. They gave Remus big smiles.

“Marlene plays with us on the football team,” Sirius pointed out. “They didn’t have enough for a girls team, so she’s been playing with us for two years now. Remus’ll be trying out for us, _and_ he’s a center mid,” he added in Marlene’s direction meaningfully. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

“That’s great, I can’t wait!” She said to Remus. “I’m the starting striker. And top goal scorer, if you want to go into details.”

“So modest, Marls,” the other girl, Mary, rolled her eyes and elbowed Marlene softly. Marlene blushed slightly as she cast a sideways glance at her friend but smiled a bit all the same.

James leaned across the table to make eye contact with Lily, waggling his eyebrows stupidly. “Say, Evans, why don’t you come and watch the tryouts next week and I can take you out for dinner after?”

Lily eyed him for a second before morphing her expression into an exasperated glare. “Sod off, Potter.” She pointedly turned her back to start a conversation with Marlene and Mary, but Remus caught the edges of her mouth fighting a tiny smile. He leaned back, wondering what exactly the situation was.

“Valiant effort, Prongs, but it was quite a lackluster response on Evans’ part,” Sirius analyzed.

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, Prongs?”

Sirius laughed. “Yeah, because of his hair. I mean, look at that stuff sticking up everywhere,” he stroked the top of James’ hair teasingly. James slapped his hand away good-naturedly.

“Why do I feel like you guys are the type of group to give yourselves all nicknames?” Remus asked with a disbelieving shake of his head.

“Oh yeah, I’m the honorable Padfoot, and Peter’s Wormtail,” Sirius explained, while Peter rolled his eyes and formed his mouth into a thin line.

“Don’t think I even want to know the stories behind those,” Remus admitted.

“Have no worries, Remus! You’ll have a new, respectable alias in no time at all.” James threw him two thumbs-up.

——————————

Remus was woken the next morning by the upbeat tune of the Arctic Monkeys’ “Teddy Picker”. He sat up suddenly, squinting as the early morning light shone through the carelessly drawn curtains. James was already awake, stretching his back luxuriously. He caught Remus’ eye and flashed him a charming grin. “Morning, Lupin!” He greeted enthusiastically. The bespectacled boy threw back his covers and leaped out of bed, heading for the bathroom they all shared.

_“Save it for the morning after…..”_

“Oh, make it stop!” Peter writhed around in his bed, covering his ears.

“What, you don’t like the Arctic Monkeys, Wormy?” That was Sirius, who finally turned over to his right side and turned the alarm of his phone off.

“I _do,_ ” Peter insisted, shoving his head back under the blanket. “But when it plays at the arse crack of dawn every single day, I can’t help but be a little annoyed by it sometimes!”

Sirius let out a breathy laugh. “I suppose,” he admitted. “Alex Turner is super fit though, so it has to cancel out.”

“I don’t quite swing that way, Padfoot,” Peter mumbled in response, voice muffled by the bedclothes.

“It’s simply an objective opinion!” Sirius protested. “Alex Turner is objectively hot. Wouldn’t you agree, Remus?”

Remus jerked his head around, caught off guard. Sirius raised an eyebrow expectantly. “Yeah. Sorry, Peter, but Sirius is right. He is pretty good-looking.”

“Thank you!” Sirius grinned, hopping out from under his duvet and heading to the bathroom as well.

Remus glanced smilingly at Peter. “Not a morning person?” He asked.

Peter only groaned in response.

——————————

One thing Remus liked about Hogwarts was the daily schedule for classes. He was enrolled in seven classes but they only occurred every other day, so he had four on one day, and three the next, allowing him a nice chunk of time he could use to study on his own. Because he had arrived after lessons yesterday, he had missed maths, phys ed, psychology, and biology. But he would be able to attend the introductory sessions to English, French, and, God forbid, _pottery._ Remus was not looking forward to that.

At breakfast, his new English teacher, Professor McGonagall, handed him his timetable. “I’ll see you in my first period today, Mr. Lupin,” she informed him with a nod.

“Let’s see then,” James said, swiping the piece of paper out of Remus’ hands. He scanned it quickly. “We’re all in the same English class!” He announced triumphantly. “That’ll be a blast. And I have you in my maths and PE, that’s awesome. What about you, Peter?” He asked, giving the schedule to Peter, who checked it himself.

“English and bio,” he answered, and gave the paper to Sirius,

“English, PE, French, and pottery,” he said. “God, Lupin, we’re together the entire day today.” He flashed Remus a grin.

“I’m definitely not excited for pottery,” Remus admitted sheepishly. “I suck at art.”

“Come off it, it’s a such a blowoff,” Sirius rolled his eyes. “This is my second year taking it, it’s easy money.”

“If you say so.”

They finished eating and hoisted their bags onto their shoulders, ready to head to English. The classroom was large and rectangular, with many rows of two-seater desks and chairs. James and Sirius guided the group of four to a cluster of desks near the back of the room, and sat next to each other. Remus and Peter sat in front of them.

Moments before the bell rang, Lily, Marlene, and Mary filed into the classroom. Lily waved as they sat in front of him and Peter.

“Damn, everyone has this class,” Sirius observed.

Professor McGonagall stood from her desk to begin class. “Welcome to World Literature” she announced. “Those of you who have had me in previous years know what to expect. You put in the effort and participate to your best ability, you’re on track to succeed in this class. Don’t tell, _show_ me you want to do well and everything else should be smooth sailing with me.” She picked up a short book from a stack she had sitting on a side table. “Since this is World Lit, we’ll be focusing on texts not written from Eurocentric, Anglo-Saxon authors. It’s important we expose you to other points of view before you graduate, or it’s safe to say your education has failed you. The first text we’ll be looking at is _Aura_ by Carlos Fuentes.”

The rest of the class period consisted of McGonagall giving a background on their first book, going over her roughly outlined plan for the year, and a ‘getting-to-know-you’ activity. It went by fast, and Remus was surprised to hear the bell ring, signaling the passing period to their next lesson. He reached into his pocket to consult his schedule, but Sirius cut in. “We’ve got French next. I’ll show you the way.”

They bade goodbye to James and Peter, and set off down a hallway leading to the other side of the school. Remus and Sirius walked side by side, Sirius pulling a little ahead every few steps. Remus couldn’t help but notice the many lingering gazes resting on Sirius as he led the way through the throng of students. People were unabashedly _ogling_ at Black. It was a big laughable. Sirius appeared to be unaware. “Seems as if the whole school is part of your fan club or something,” Remus quipped.

“What?” Sirius looked confused for a second, laughed slightly. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Some girls still can’t understand that I don’t really play for their team anymore.” He rubbed his neck somewhat self-consciously, not making eye contact with Remus.

“Oh?” Remus hadn’t made much of Sirius’ comment about Alex Turner in the dorm that morning, but he was pretty sure Sirius was trying to tell him he didn’t really prefer girls. That was nice to know, he supposed. _No,_ he scolded himself. _He’s your roommate and you barely know him anyway._

“Yeah,” Sirius replied, opening a classroom door to let Remus enter first. He nodded his thanks and found a table for them to sit at.

“ _Bienvenue en français pour la onzième année_ ,” greeted the teacher, a bird-like, gangly woman with humongous round spectacle that gave her the impression of an oversized owl. “ _Je m'appelle Madame Trelawney_ , and it is lovely to see all of your faces on this wonderful morning. We’ll start the class by introducing ourselves… and… throw in a little fun fact! _Dans autant de français que possible, s'il vous plaît_. I’ll begin. _Je bois beaucoup de thé_. And it’s not because I love how it tastes, but because I like to read the tea leaves. _Qui est le suivant?_ ”

A few people raised their hands, and Madame Trelawney chose a tall, brown-haired boy sitting close to her. “ _Je m’appelle Frank Longbottom. J’ai échoué en Français de la neuvième année, donc je suis en arrière,_ ” he grinned and the class bubbled with laughter. “ _J’aime le poulet_.”

“ _Excellent, Monsieur Frank!_ ” Trelawney chanted.

They went through most people in the class before it was Sirius’ turn. “ _Bonjour, je m'appelle Sirius_ ,” he began, in what Remus could only classify as a perfect accent. “ _J'aime jouer au football et ennuyer mes parents autant que possible._ ” Many people in the class laughed.

“ _Et toi, Monsieur?_ ” Trelawney prompted, nodding in Remus’ direction.

“Oh, _oui_ ,” Remus stammered. “ _Je suis Remus et j'aime lire des livres_.” They moved on. He leaned toward Sirius. “Your accent is so good!” He exclaimed.

“Ha, yeah, it’s alright,” Sirius shrugged. “I’m actually fluent in French. Don’t tell anyone, though.”

Remus’ eyebrows shot up his head. “ _Fluent?”_ He gasped. “What the bloody hell are you doing in this class?”

“It’s easy, and I like it,” Sirius admitted. “Making me learn French was the only good thing my family did. I feel good when I speak it. Sort of stupid.”

Remus shook his head. He knew a little bit about wanting to find _something_ positive from a relationship with a parent. “I know what you mean.”

Sirius gave him a long, searching look. “You don’t like your family?” He asked.

Biting his lip, Remus replied, “I love my mother to death. My dad’s a very complicated story, though.”

“It’s always complicated, isn’t it?” Sirius mused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book that McGonagall was talking about is Aura by Carlos Fuentes. I read it in my own World Lit class this year and it's really interesting to look at as a post colonialist narrative if anyone's into that


	3. Regulus Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snape is a nasty slime ball and a little bonding moment between our favorite boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels really short to me for some reason hopefully I can make them a bit bigger in the future

“How’s your first week been, sweetheart?”

Remus picked at a blade of grass absentmindedly. He sat alone in the courtyard at the front of the school, a bit of homework laid out in front of him. “It’s actually really good, Mum,” he answered honestly. “I’ve met some good people, and classes are nice. Football tryouts are in a few days, and I’m excited for that too. How are you? How’s home?”

“I am completely fine, don’t you dare worry about me, Remus,” his mother replied sternly. “I’m sorry I haven’t called you at all this week. I took up extra shifts at work and I’ve just been a tad overwhelmed. Nothing to fret about, though. Who are your friends?”

“Well, in my dorm there’s James, Peter, and Sirius,” Remus explained. “And these two girls Lily and Marlene are in a few of my classes, they’re really nice.”

“That’s good, dear,” the voice on the other end of the line turned mischievous. “Anyone good-looking catch your eye?”

Remus couldn’t help but laugh. “Sod off, you nosy ferret!”

“Don’t call me that! If anyone’s a nosy ferret, it’s you, Remus Lupin, trying to ask me how I am when _I’m_ supposed to be the one asking my son questions about his new school. So, seriously, no girls or boys at all worth the fancy?”

Remus continued to laugh, but he spotted a tall, red-headed figure approaching him across the lawn, and it certainly wasn’t Lily Evans. “You’ll be the first to know if I strike it up with anyone, Mum, but I’ve got to go. I think the football captain’s coming to talk to me.”

“Oh, yay! Put me on speaker and I can tell him myself he’d better save you a starting spot on the team immediately!”

“Shut up,” Remus groaned. “I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart. Text me later.”

Remus hung up the phone and stood to acknowledge the Year 12 boy who jerked his head in his direction. You’re Remus Lupin?” He asked.

“That’s right.”

“Potter told me about you. I’m Fabian Prewett, captain.” They shook hands firmly. “You’re a center mid?”

Remus nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s great. You have no idea how nervous I was to find someone for that position this year. I play the more defensive center mid, myself. I haven’t played with a solid player in the middle since primary school,” he chuckled lightly. “Between you and me, if you’re even half decent, you’ll make the team. Just show up to tryouts on Tuesday and don’t disappoint me. All good?”

Remus grinned enthusiastically. “Absolutely.”

Fabian clapped him on the shoulder. “Alright, mate. I’ve got to head in, I’ve got a shit load of homework from McGonagall already,” he rolled his eyes. “You would think she’d take it easy on her precious football captain this time around, what with running tryouts and all. She’s likely the only person who wants Gryffindor to win more than me.”

“For some reason, I can imagine that,” Remus smiled.

“I’ll see you later, Remus.”

“Cheers, mate.”

After Fabian left, Remus spent about a half hour more working on some homework before the chilly September air began to bite through his clothes. He stashed his assignments in his bag and trekked across the courtyard into the closest unlocked door. As he slipped inside, he collided suddenly into another person. He felt his forehead collide with another, and he stumbled back into the doorframe, gasping.

“Watch where the fuck you’re going, idiot!”

Remus looked up and immediately recognized the person he had crashed into: Severus Snape. He was in Remus’ biology and psychology classes, a Slytherin, and Remus had heard no shortage of nasty stories about him from his dorm mates. Apparently he was a racist, homophobe, and dickhead all in one. Well, Remus supposed dickhead was a given for a racist and homophobe.

Recognition flared in Snape’s eyes. He had a thin, ghostly figure, and his face was pale as snow but also sunken in, so that his presence conjured up the impression of a creature undead. His thin, oily hair hung limply off his head. “Lupin, isn’t it?” He sneered, looking up at Remus, who was almost a foot taller. “Where’re your new friends, hm? Suppose they’ve got you thinking you’re all better than me, huh? Well, guess what? Potter and Black aren’t here. So I think I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget quickly?” He advanced toward Remus, backing him further and further into the corner of the corridor. Hundreds of thoughts raced through Remus’ head; he’d never been in a fight before, and he had no idea where to put his hands. He stared blankly as Snape crept closer and closer. As Snape raised a bony fist, Remus grimaced and jerked away, hoping it wouldn’t hurt too much.

“ _Oi!_ Snivellus, think fast!”

Remus’ eyes flew open just in time to see what looked like a disembodied fist collide with Snape’s face. As the black-haired boy fell to the ground, Remus let out a shaky breath when he saw who the fist belonged to. The sharp grey eyes of none other than Sirius Black stared back up at him, chest heaving rapidly.

“Thought you could use some help with that,” Sirius shrugged.

“Pretty much,” Remus replied, smiling. “Cheers, Black.” 

James and Peter suddenly appeared, breath irregular from running. “You okay, Lupin?” Peter asked, resting his hands on his knees.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Hey!”

Two more figures emerged from the other end of the corridor, making their way towards the group briskly. One was a burly, muscly sort, but Remus was stunned when he looked at the second boy. He whipped his head back to his left to make sure Sirius was still standing beside him. The boy’s eyes were no longer clear with triumph; instead they had become stormy, almost unreadable. Remus turned back to the approaching boys.

It was not Sirius, if you looked closely. This boy was a bit smaller; there was almost an immeasurable difference between their figures, yet at closer analysis, Remus found he could tell. He stood a little straighter than Sirius, and his expression was much haughtier than any look he had seen on Sirius’ face in the short time they had known each other. He was paler and his eyes were slightly darker.

“What the hell are you doing here, Reg?” Sirius demanded, voice biting.

“It’s Regulus,” the other Black spat back. “And you just punched my friend in the face, so you’d better bugger off before I return the favor.”

Sirius’ jaw dropped. “You’re _friends_ with this idiot? What the fuck, Reg? You said you wouldn’t—“

“I can do whatever the fuck I’d like,” Regulus said coldly. “You’re not even my brother anymore, you can’t tell me what to do.”

James stepped up to Sirius’ side, a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Padfoot, we should go,” he muttered.

Sirius stood frozen, eyes boring into his brother’s gaze, for what seemed like an eternity.Remus felt the tension crackling through the air like electricity; he clenched his fists hesitantly in preparation for what might commence. But Sirius took one, two deep breaths and looked away from Regulus. “Okay, come on,” he murmured.

James turned to face Snape, who was recovering from being hit and now scrambled upwards to stand at Regulus’ side. “Don’t try anything against Remus again, Snivellus, or you’ll be getting a second black eye to match that one.”

The group of four, led by James, turned their backs on Snape, Regulus, and the third boy to walk down the corridor toward their dormitory. Remus’ neck felt tingly; he was sure the Slytherins were glaring daggers into their backs. He bit down on his tongue to resist the temptation to look back and swing his own right hook to Sirius’ brother. He felt a strange wave of protectiveness over Sirius, which he pushed back to the depths of his mind as he followed his friends through the school.

The walk back to their room was laden with heavy silence; nobody dared say anything. Peter was wringing his hands nervously, casting anxious looks at the other boys. James walked closely to Sirius, one step ahead, as if shielding him from any further threats. And Sirius, he looked stone cold. His expression was hard as rock as he stared ahead. Remus eyed him carefully.

They finally reached their dorm. Sirius sat down on his bed while the other three milled around, unsure of what to do.

Finally, James blurted out, “Mate, are you okay?”

Sirius’ mouth was a straight line. “I’m fine, Prongs. I always knew this would happen.”

“That doesn’t make it easier,” James replied earnestly, leaning on Sirius’ bedpost. “You want to talk about it?”

Sirius shook his head. “Thanks, really, but not right now. Didn’t you have to go see Slughorn about your chem assignment?”

James’ jaw tensed as he watched his friend for a minute. After a few moments, however, he surrendered. “Okay,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll see you later, though.” He grabbed his bag and strode out the door, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder.

Peter hurriedly collected a textbook and some notes from his bedside table. “I’m gonna finish these notes downstairs,” he stammered, and scampered out of the dormitory.

Remus scratched his forehead, trying to think of something to do so that he could get out of Sirius’ way. But something in the back of his brain gave him another idea, albeit a little risky. “Do you want to kick around a ball on the lawn or something?” He asked Sirius tentatively.

For a fleeting second he thought Sirius would start yelling at him, but the boy looked up at him and grunted, “Yeah, alright.”

“I won’t make you talk about anything,” Remus put in quickly. “Just might get your mindoff things.”

“Thanks Lupin, really. Let me just get my boots.” Sirius rose from the mattress and rifled around his trunk for a minute. Remus followed his lead and plucked out his own cleats from under his bed, grabbing his ball while he was at it.

Once they were sorted, they headed out of their dorm through the common room to get outside. Peter looked up from his schoolwork, but didn’t say anything to the two boys as their exited the tower.

——————————

Outside, the air was a bit cold, and Remus shook out his arms and legs in an effort to warm up. He and Sirius bent down to change into their football boots. Remus watched absentmindedly as Sirius did his laces, long fingers delicately tying the strings up. He didn’t tie them as Remus did; he made two loops and threaded them simultaneously through each other, creating a perfect bow. When he looked up, Sirius was watching him. He looked away, embarrassed. “I always wanted to learn how to tie them like that,” Remus admitted sheepishly, looking at his own shoes.

Sirius let out a soft chuckle and scooted over to where Remus sat, taking the undone laces of his right shoe into his hands. “Here, just watch,” he instructed softly. He demonstrated the procedure as Remus watched closely, but he was getting a bit distracted by the movement of Sirius’ hands working their magic on the laces, and once they were tied up, he realized he had not paid attention at all. He shifted his eyes to look at Sirius, whose gaze already was trained on himself. “Try it,” he said, nodding down to Remus’ left foot.

Worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, Remus undid the laces and attempted desperately to recall what the other boy had just shown him. He failed terribly, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his idiocy. Sirius joined him, reaching over to tie the laces himself. Their hands grazed one another and Remus sucked in a large breath involuntarily. The touch was gone as soon as it came, as Sirius deftly tied up Remus’ shoe and back away hurriedly. “Alright, let’s pass,” he suggested, standing up.

Remus nodded in agreement, throat dry. They began kicking the ball to each other across the grass, not talking. It was plenty noticeable that many thoughts were whizzing through Sirius’ head, though; Remus recognized the look of someone overthinking far too well. Against his better judgment, he asked, “I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but can I ask what happened between you and Regulus? I didn’t know you had a brother.” When Sirius stared at him cautiously, he added, “I understand if you don’t want to answer. I can just tell from the face you’re making that you really want to let something out. I feel the same way when I have problems.”

Sirius didn’t speak at first, and when Remus passed him the ball again, he rolled it up his foot and started to juggle it skillfully. “In French, I kind of told you how I didn’t really like my family. Well, I was downplaying it. They’re fucking horrible. Picture my parents as two carbon copies of Snape, but grown up, more manipulative, and _way_ more bigoted.” Remus’ eyes widened as he imagined this.

“My family comes from a long history of super rich politicians and businessmen, and the only things they care about are money, their reputation, and continuing their bloodline. Crazy old-fashioned. They never treated me and Regulus like sons, more like empty vessels whose only purpose is to produce an heir to their fortune. I rebelled against them from a pretty early age, so they punished me. A lot. Reg never did. When I started going to school here, I realized I shouldn’t have to hide myself from my parents in order to please them. So this past summer, I came out to them. That was the last straw, though, and they kicked me out.”

“God, Sirius,” Remus exclaimed. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

Sirius shrugged. “It’s okay. I decided they didn’t deserve to be my family anymore, but I tried to get Regulus to come with me. He told me to stay away from him, that he wouldn’t talk to me anymore. James’ parents let me stay with them for the summer. They’re amazing people, James is really lucky to have them.” Sirius’ paused, closing his eyes for a moment in an effort to compose himself. “I knew Reg was always a little more abiding to our parents’ whims, but I never thought he would cut me off completely. And when I saw him defending that slime ball today I…” He trailed off, mouth open but no words coming out. The ball he was juggling fell to the grass with a soft thud as he stared into space.

“I’m sorry,” Remus said again, kicking the ground. “I didn’t know.”

Sirius looked up and smiled. “Don’t apologize, of course you didn’t know,” he replied kindly. “Most people at Hogwarts are aware of the situation, but I’ve only told a few people the half of it. And sometimes I regret telling them.” Rubbing his head, he continued, “James knows everything, obviously. I know he means well, but he can be really overbearing about it sometimes, trying to get me to face things when I don’t know how. And Pete… well, he’s probably too scared to ask anything. They might know everything, but I don’t really think they can understand much about it. Their families are good.” Remus and Sirius’ eyes met as they gazed at each other. “It was easy to tell you about it, surprisingly. How’d you do that?”

Remus’ mouth upturned into a small smile. “I’m just that good, apparently.”

Sirius returned his smile with a mischievous grin, kicking the ball hard to Remus, who stopped it with a gentle touch. “Well, I hope your ability to be a good listener matches your football skills. Are you ready for tryouts?”

“I suppose,” Remus answered. “I met Fabian Prewett earlier. He seemed pretty excited, so I hope I play well.”

“I bet my bollocks you will,” the pair of boys laughed loudly, eyes catching each other’s every few seconds.

“Want to do some one-on-one?” Sirius suggested with a wicked grin. “I want to catch some of your foot skills so I’m not caught off guard at tryouts.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “Fine, but don’t expect me to reveal all my tricks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's reading this, how do you like it so far? There should be more interesting things happening later on, but let me know if you like the length of the chapters or if I should try going shorter, longer etc.
> 
> I hope you're having a good day


	4. Time for Tryouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, I don't really like how this chapter turned out. I thought I was going to like writing the soccer action since I play the sport but that was not the case. I also had terrible writer's block writing this but I got some inspiration starting chapter 5 so next is going to be better!
> 
> Also, if you have any questions about any of the sports terms feel free to ask and I will for sure explain them

It was 4 four o’clock on Tuesday afternoon. Remus switched his schoolbag out for his football one, collecting the things he would need: ball, shinguards, boots, knee brace. He sniffed disdainfully as he held the chunky brace in front of him, examining it. Reluctantly, he stuffed it into his bag, zipping quickly. His mum would never forgive him if she found out he didn’t wear it.

“Ready, Lupin?” James popped up from the crouch he had been in beside his bed. The usually bespectacled boy had traded his usual circular framed glasses for some contacts, and Remus almost hadn’t recognized him. It seemed like a part of him was missing, funnily enough.

“Yes, sir.”

They swung their bags across their backs and exited the dorm. Sirius and Peter had nicked off to the school kitchens first to see if they could persuade the cooks to spare them a snack before heading to the field. In the common room, Mary MacDonald flagged him down, wishing Remus good luck. “You’ll do great!” She promised him with a smile full of flashy teeth.

James grumbled as they descended the tower steps and found a door leading outside. “How is it you’ve been here a week and you already have multiple girls wrapped around your finger?”

Remus ducked his head, heat rising to his neck. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play coy with me,” James waggled a finger in his direction. “That little thing with MacDonald back there was just the tip of the iceberg. Marlene’s been yapping at you all week, and even _Evans_ begged you to be her partner for that psychology project I hear you’re doing.”

Remus couldn’t help but laugh. “First of all, anybody can wish anybody good luck, you idiot. Marlene and I have been talking about _football_ , and Lily and I are friends, I know she’s your girl,” he added with a smirk.

“What’s your secret?” James went on, as if he had not heard any of Remus’ explanations. “Act shy and vulnerable until they come flocking to you, eh?”

“Shut up.”

They continued to walk across the lawn until they reached the far end of the school, where the football field was. As they arrived, they spotted a sizable group of students clustered closely on one end. Sirius and Peter were among them. Remus and James threw down their bags beside them, taking a seat. Fabian glanced up, giving an enthusiastic wave in Remus’ direction. He returned it, catching the narrowed eyes of Sirius in his peripheral, feeling uneasy but unsure why.

Marlene McKinnon, who appeared to be beside Remus, smiled in greeting. "You ready, Lupin?”

“About as ready as I’ll ever be, I guess” he replied. He slid on his boots and his shinguards, but looked hesitantly at his knee brace. After some contemplation, he decided he would put it on if they ended up doing a scrimmage or something else intense.

There were probably only a bit over twenty people there. Remus assumed maybe thirteen or fourteen were returning players, so there might be roughly six others that were possible competition. He wasn’t sure how many spots were left on the team, and he worried his lip nervously.

A few minutes later, Fabian stood and clapped his hands to call attention. “Alright, fellas and Marlene, welcome to tryouts for Gryffindor. We’re gonna start with a lap around the field together and then get into some stretches.” He jerked his head down the sideline, signaling for the rest of the players to stand and start jogging behind him. Remus slid into position beside Peter, relishing the cool breeze hitting his face at each step. He barely registered his feet sinking into the well-cut grass as they came around the last corner of their lap, so happy to be back on the field.

Afterwards, they split up into a few lines to do some stretching, led by a few of the veteran players: Fabian, his twin brother, Gideon, James, and another senior named Frank Longbottom. Remus tried not to scoff a little at that name.

Soon enough, Fabian was ordering them to divide into pairs so that they could do some one and two touch passing. James and Sirius clasped hands immediately, and Remus was about to suggest to Peter that they pair up when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Want to be partners, Remus?” Marlene asked, blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail.

“Oh, sure,” Remus responded with a smile. He checked behind him to see that Peter had made a team with some scrawny, brown-haired kid who looked entirely like he was regretting his decision to attend. He didn’t miss James shooting him a knowing look; his eyebrows were raised suspiciously, a mischievous grin budding. Remus shot him what he hoped was a disparaging look before facing Marlene again.

The passing drills were simple and easy to focus on; many pairs were beginning to shift their gazes up to speak to their partners. Remus heard James and Sirius chortling a short distance away.

“How long have you been playing football?” He asked Marlene.

“Not as long as most people,” she replied. “Only since I was eleven.”

Remus gaped. “ _Really_? You must be really good, then. All my old teammates were playing as soon as they could walk and a lot of them never started for our team.”

Marlene rolled her eyes. “It’s not about how long you’ve been playing, just the work you’re putting in. I suppose you started playing when you were what, three?”

“Four,” Remus grinned. “It was really important to my family before…” he trailed off, remembering what that story led into.

Marlene seemed to recognize that he was not going to share anymore, and they began to only do one touch passes, shifting their full attention to the ball whizzing back and forth between their feet. They worked together well, their passes crisp and direct. Although a simple drill, Remus lost himself in it. _Look down, open up, pass, repeat._

It wasn’t long until Fabian seemed satisfied with the time spent on this and called for their attention again. “Okay, guys, you probably know that we didn’t lose too many people last year so there’s only a couple of spots left. We’re just gonna do a scrimmage, ten v ten and then probably some shooting afterwards.” His brow creased in contemplation.

“Regular teams, Fab?” Gideon suggested eagerly.

“Of, course, Gid,” Fabian replied. “Potter, McKinnon, Longbottom, Fenwick, Podmore, you’re with me. Black, Pettigrew, Cresswell, Bones, Diggle, Dearborn, you’re with Gid. And then,” he surveyed the tryouts carefully. “Lupin and you three, you can join me. Gideon, take those three furthest on the left.” The other Prewett nodded and gestured for his temporarily assigned teammates to join him at one of the nets. Remus met Sirius’ eye, who rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and sauntered off, Peter scurrying behind.

Fabian turned to Remus and his group, rubbing his palms together. “Alright people, you know how I love a good preseason tryout scrimmage. To my returning players, let’s see if we can keep up this winning streak we’ve got, yeah?”

Frank, a tall, lanky, dark-skinned boy with unruly black curls, scoffed. “We started this last year, Prewett, and our _winning streak_ you’re so proud of is only one year in the making.”

“Silence, scoundrel!” The redhead captain sent his classmate a crazed look. “I’m not letting Gideon get the satisfaction of beating me in our last tryout.”

Frank acquiesced, shaking his head despairingly.

“We’ll play a four-three-two, since we’re a player short than usual. Longbottom and Potter, we’ll have you in center defense. Fenwick, right mid. Podmore, could you go in goal to start? I want to get the newbies some field time. McKinnon, forward. What do you three play?” He asked the other tryouts, who responded with midfield, defense, and anything, really.

Fabian nodded approvingly. “That works out well. Two of you on the wide defender spots, and then the other left mid. Remus, I want you in the center spot, and I’ll play the more defensive forward behind McKinnon. Sound good, everybody?” The team murmured their assent, and Fabian clapped his hands. “Brilliant. Let’s get into position.”

Remus shook out his limbs in anticipation as he took his place on the field, waiting for the scrimmage to begin. He eyed Sirius by the other team’s left sideline, stretching his quads. So he was an outside mid. Probably fast, then. Peter hung back in a defensive position next to a broad-shouldered, muscly type with his long brown hair tied up in a bun. Gideon was in goal.

Fabian grabbed a ball from the sideline and placed it in the center of the pitch, nodding to Dedalus Diggle, a boy one year below Remus. Dedalus spun the ball around with his foot for a second, then shot up a thumbs up and passed it back to the center mid. The game began.

Remus exhaled longingly, starting up a slow jog as everyone started moving. He wanted so bad to get ahold of the ball, to show these people what he could do, even after what had happened to him last season. It was at that moment he realized he had forgotten to put on his knee brace, and he stopped in his tracks, looking down at his bare leg. Should he go put it on? He didn’t want to interrupt the game, and it took an obscenely long time to buckle up all the straps correctly. Besides, his knee didn’t even _hurt,_ Remus thought desperately. Just a little stiff from not playing, definitely.

He was still contemplating what to do when Fabian turned around and called, “Lupin, look up!” The redhead slotted the ball back to Remus with a brisk pass that he trapped easily.

Glancing up, Remus observed the field, searching for the best possible play to make. He spotted the left mid, whose name he was unaware of, checking in from the sideline for a short pass. Fabian peeled away, making a somewhat wide loop to make space for Remus to dribble up if he liked. Marlene shuffled to the left up top, keeping an eye on him but not making any sort of bold move. These were all okay options, but Remus kept looking. For something perfect.

There it was. Benjy Fenwick was making a run on the right side. Peter, who was playing a bit higher than was necessary, was too focused on Remus with the ball to check his shoulder as Benjy slithered behind him. The right midfielder raised an urgent arm to wave silently at Remus.

With a preparatory touch past the defending center mid, Remus leaned back and sent a lofted ball through several channels of players from both teams to Benjy.Peter, caught off guard, realized someone was running behind him and lunged for the ball, stumbling ungraciously as it whisked past his outstretched leg. Benjy stopped it with his foot, taking a touch toward the penalty box. With some speedy footwork that allowed him past another defender, he slid a quick pass across. The ball immediately found itself in the back of the net asFabian shot with lion-like ferocity. Gideon hadn’t even had time to react, his hands flailing around uselessly.

“Bloody _yes_!” Fabian pumped his fists into the air triumphantly, then proceeded to do a little victory dance in front of his brother. Gideon scowled and yelled a few directions at his defenders.

Remus felt a weight barge into his shoulder and he whipped his head around to find Benjy grinning at him. “That was a sick pass, Lupin,” he complimented eagerly. “I thought someone was going to get a touch on it for a second. But you timed it _amazingly._ Nice work.” He clapped Remus on the shoulder and headed back to center field for the kickoff Fabian took his place, looking a bit prematurely victorious.

“Remus, you could have _told_ me you were a master playmaker, I wouldn’t have even made you try out!” He exclaimed vehemently, slightly out of breath.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, of course” Remus answered sardonically, pushing his hair out of his face.

Fabian chuckled. “Well, consider me surprised. I’m very impressed, that was an awesome pass you made. Keep up the work.”

Remus made his way back behind the center circle, catching James’ eye. The messy haired center defender saluted him good-naturedly, and Remus returned the gesture.

The rest of the game carried on swimmingly. Remus felt like he could do no wrong; he made spectacular pass after spectacular pass, and he even worked up the courage to do some fancy dribbling around a few of the players. Sometimes he felt like the game was moving in slow motion, and he was the only one playing in regular speed. Perhaps he was a better player than he thought. He tried not to linger on it, though. It was no good to get too full of yourself.

Fabian called the game forty five minutes later. Their team had racked up three more goals to win the game, but Sirius had scored one of his own on a great breakaway down the field and a clean shot in the corner of the goal.

Sirius Black was pretty good at football. Remus could tell he read the game closely; he always seemed to be in the right position to receive a pass, or would step to intercept the ball at exactly the precise moment. He was also wickedly fast. Remus had watched in awe as Sirius had raced down the field with the ball, easily skirting defenders with a single touch and scoring efficiently. In all honesty, Remus couldn’t wait to be his center mid. He couldn’t wait to be the one passing to Sirius.

James was awesome, too. As a defender, one had to be at a certain level of assertiveness, what with being able to see the whole field and being responsible for giving directions to his teammates here and there. But James Potter did more than that. He had an undistinguishable air of command that nobody refuted. He was incredible at defending one-on-one; Remus smiled to himself as he recalled a particular moment where James had knocked the ball clean from Sirius’ feet as the long haired boy had attempted to perform a difficult and intricate full turn move. The laughter in his eyes as Sirius pouted mockingly. All good fun, really.

Fabian did not hesitate to rub their victory into his brother’s face. Gideon rolled his eyes and waved him off, looking a bit peeved. Nevertheless, everyone high-fived and shook hands.

“Good job, everyone! I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen today,” Fabian announced as he undid his laces. “If you’re a tryout, come and give me your number so I can text you once the decision about the team is made. Otherwise, get some good stretching in before you leave and have a good night.”

Remus approached Fabian after he had taken his shoes and shinguards off. “I’ll put my number in yours,” he offered, and the captain handed him his phone. Remus added himself as a contact and returned the phone.

“Awesome stuff today, Remus,” Fabian said again. “I think you’re going to fit in well here.”

“Thanks.”

Remus walked back to the school with his dorm mates. He felt as light as air, as if he was going to float off at any moment.

Sirius hounded him the moment they headed off. “Were you going to tell us you were _that_ good? You’re bloody brilliant, Lupin!”

“For real,” Peter agreed. “How come we’ve never heard of you until now?”

Remus shrugged. “My old team wasn’t actually that good, so we never won any championships or anything.”

“Still,” Sirius went on. “You’re crazy out there on the field. When you see an open pass, you just get…” he waved his hands around his face. “All glassed over. Moon-eyed. Moony.” His face broke out into a humongous grin. “Moony! That’s a perfect moniker if I’ve ever seen one.”

“That’s pretty good,” James put in.

“It’s not bad. Moony, _Moony,_ ” Remus played with the name in his mouth. “I actually quite like it.”

“Of course you do, I bestowed it upon you,” Sirius nodded vigorously. “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, masters of Gryffindor Tower on and off the football pitch!”

“Why do I have to go last?”

“For dramatic effect, Potter!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you don't like or no about the sport this was probably confusing/boring ugh. more drama next chapter though


	5. Model Magic and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some pottery class shenanigans?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been a minute it took me a while to finish up the loose ends of the chapter

Remus was woken by a repeated high-pitched pinging emitting from somewhere by his right ear. He flailed his arm around in an attempt to smother the sound but to no avail. Luckily, there was only one more ping before what he guessed was his phone went silent.

“Who’s damn phone is going off so early?” Sirius asked grumpily, voiced muffled into his pillow.

Remus rolled over lazily, spotting his phone on the bedside table. It was lit up with multiple texts. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed it and rolled onto his back to peer at the screen.

**_Unknown number_ **

_(6:14am) Hey! Obviously you were a shoe-in but I thought I’d let you know you are officially part of the Gryffindor Lions!_

_(6:15am) just realized you’re prob not even awake yet sorry if I’ve awoken you from your slumber._

_wait this is Fabian Prewett I probably should have said before_

_(6:16am) anyways, again nice job yesterday remus you were buggering awesome out there_

_(6:18am) would you wanna meet up in the near future to brainstorm some new plays for this season? let me know!_

_Ok I will let you sleep now_

Remus set his phone down, but not before adding Fabian’s number to his contacts. He set the phone down and closed his eyes, trying to find sleep again.

“Sorry to wake you guys up,” he apologized sheepishly. “It was Fabian, just telling me I’d made the team.”

“How did a simple congratulatory text evolve into, like, ten notifications?” Peter mused in an annoyed tone.

“He asked if I wanted to hang out, too,” Remus admitted, feeling heat rising up his neck. Why was he embarrassed? Fabian had only asked if he wanted to discuss tactics, after all. “To talk about some new plays, or something.”

Sirius shot up out of the bed. “Talk about plays?”

“Yeah,” Remus responded slowly. “What are you surprised for?”

James, who was already showered, dressed, and packing his school bag, looked up with. “Prewett never talks about tactics for the team with anyone other than his brother. He must think you’re _really_ special if he wants to talk to you about it. Save some glory for the rest of us, will you?”

Remus laughed in reply, but he felt a bit awkward as he walked past Sirius’ bed to head to the bathroom to brush his teeth. What was he to make of Sirius’ reaction? Remus leaned back against the sink, wondering. For the past week, he’d tried his best to keep his eyes off of Sirius, and to squash the subtle attraction he’d been feeling over the previous few days. He’d been doing pretty well, but sometimes he caught himself lingering on Sirius’ face as he grinned mischievously, or the back of his head as he walked away to class. And although he tried not to read too much into it, every so often he thought he saw Sirius looking back at him in a similar fashion. But, Remus thought, Sirius looked at everyone like that. He was always staring into other people’s souls, trying to figure them out one bit at a time. It wasn’t hard to miss, so Remus called himself delusional for thinking it could be anything different.

Alone in the bathroom, Remus decided he wouldn’t let Sirius’ good looks and increasingly irresistible charms to get to him any longer. He had more important things to think about, and getting in over his head with a boy he didn’t even think felt anywhere near the same way was not a sensible pastime to be spending time on.

——————————

Unfortunately, Remus’ resolve did not last long.

He followed Sirius into the art classroom for their Pottery class. For the first two weeks of school, their teacher hadn’t had them doing anything practical. They’d been going over the theory of the basics, looking at a lot of examples, and doing some very preliminary sketches for a project they were getting into later. Today, however, Professor Sprout waved them over to grab and apron and take a seat in front of a small box of Model Magic each. Remus groaned softly.

“Don’t be blue, Moony, the fun’s just getting started,” Sirius insisted, giving him a friendly shove. Remus looked away, eyes darting around the room awkwardly.

“You’ll have to help me a lot,” he said, taking the spot next to Sirius, but ensuring he was a respectable distance away. “I’m no good at art.”

“My skills are entirely at your disposal,” Sirius replied, slipping on his paint-splattered apron. He looked unbearably artsy, grey eyes smoldering. His soft black hair was tied back in a loose bun that somehow hung perfectly. Not that Remus knew if Sirius’ hair was soft or not. He had definitely _not_ been imagining running his hands through it. He hadn’t! Not yet today, at least.

Seated at their table was Caradoc Dearborn from the football team as well as two girls Remus didn’t know. Caradoc gave a small wave, which he returned.

“Alright, has everyone found a seat?” Their teacher asked. Professor Sprout was short and round, with kind eyes and a big smile. On the first day, they had disclosed that they identified as nonbinary and would appreciate greatly if the students would address them with neutral pronouns. Remus hadn’t expected anyone at this old-fashioned, prestigious school to be openly gender nonconforming, and he was glad to see that most of the students took this in stride and respected them. He smiled to himself.

Professor Sprout dressed in loose-fitting jeans and blocky sweaters that Remus himself would not hesitate to add to his own wardrobe. While his passion for art was severely limited, he had enjoyed the classes so far, thanks to Sprout’s enthusiasm and easygoing nature.

Sprout clapped their hands together in anticipation. “While we won’t be starting our first real project for a bit longer, I wanted us to finally get some hands-on work going. We just have some easy modeling clay to play with today. You know, just to get used to the feeling of shaping and molding it. There’s no assignment, just make sure you’re actually getting to know the clay, though!” They sat down at their desk to tend to one of their own ongoing projects, leaving the students to their own devices.

Remus eyed his box of clay, unsure of where to start. Sirius immediately unboxed his own, tipping out the clay onto the wooden table. “What are you waiting for, Moony? I want to see your creative juices bursting right now!”

“Moony?” Came Caradoc’s voice from the other side of the table. His eyebrows were raised in question, eyes locked on Sirius. “You’ve never given me a nickname, Black.”

“And under what circumstances would I have been obligated to award you with one, Caradoc?” Sirius responded in a monotone, not bothering to look up.

Caradoc didn’t say anything, his eyes clouded over with something Remus discerned as possibly hurt. There was a heavy awkwardness lying over the table now, and nobody spoke. Remus opened his box of Model Magic and began to knead it between his hands, not really doing anything.

After a few minutes of silence, Remus chanced a glance over at Sirius. He appeared to be concentrating deeply, biting his lip as his eyes roved over the clay he was playing with. Remus caught sight of his hands, delicately rolling the clay into different shapes, and he suddenly felt hot all over. Sirius’ smooth, unblemished fingers moved fluidly as he worked the clay into form, just like they did as they tied shoelaces.

Remus snapped his gaze away, making a deliberate effort to focus on his own hands, which were not smooth, not unblemished. Really rather ragged compared to the ones next to him. They were so close, so within reach…

“Do you like them?” Remus’ head shot up at the sound of Sirius’ voice. His friend was holding up some clay in his hand. It wasn’t just some clay, though. There were two separate, distinct, shapes; one was a crescent moon, while the other was a similarly sized five-pointed star, the edges as smooth as though they’d been cut. They were brilliantly made, and Remus was in awe of how Sirius could have fashioned them in such a short span of time, with so much precision.

“They’re awesome,” he said honestly, tentatively reaching forward to stroke a finger along the curve of the moon. “How’d you do that so fast?”

Sirius shrugged. “They’re simple shapes, really. Do you want the star?” He asked, suddenly a bit, _shy,_ was it? “I want the moon, and since you’re already Moony, you don’t need it.” He offered the star toward Remus, who took it, fingers brushing Sirius’ ever so slightly.

“Is it your star?” Remus asked suddenly.

“What?”

“You know,” Remus went on, trying to ignore Caradoc’s eyes burning into the side of his face as he looked at Sirius. “Sirius. The dog star. That’s what you were named after, right?’

Sirius nodded. “Oh, yeah, that’s me. It could be my star, if you like.”

“Then it will have to be your star, good sir.”

There were a few moments where the two boys locked gazes, waiting for the other to either say something or look away. Remus realized he had been holding his breath, and he snapped his eyes rapidly, scolding himself inwardly. Sirius examined him for a bit longer, tongue playing poking into the inside of one of his cheeks.

Remus played absentmindedly with his mound of clay for the remainder of the class, while Sirius struck up a friendly conversation with the other two girls at the table, who had been eyeing him the whole class.

When Professor Sprout dismissed them for the day, Remus discarded his modeling clay into his bag: it had developed into a crude shape depicting what he had meant to be a dog, but it honestly looked more like a fat rat.

“Remus?”

Already halfway to the door, he spun around and came face to face with one of the girls who had been sitting at the table with him earlier. She was very pretty; she was tall and had long, curly blonde hair that fell in wide ringlets. He thought he might have vaguely recognized her from one of his classes, but he could not put a name to the face. So he responded with a simple, “Yes?”

The girl gave him a pleasant smile. “I’m Emmeline Vance. We have bio together?”

Remus racked his brain for any memories of her, but he was unable to place her anywhere. When he came to his senses, he realized that Emmeline was looking at him expectantly. “Sorry, I’m no good with remembering people. It’s nice to meet you. Officially, I mean.”

Emmeline gave a light laugh and a drew a hand through her hair absentmindedly. Remus wasn’t quite sure what was going on. He shifted from foot to foot uneasily, waiting for her to speak.

She fixed her gaze upon him finally, and put on an earnest expression. “I know you’ve just joined the football team and everything, but if you’re not busy, would you like to get a coffee sometime soon? There’s a good one really close to the school, if you’re interested.”

Remus was quite taken aback, but he tried not to show it. Nobody had ever been so straightforward with him before. Not that he had much experience within the being asked out department, anyway, but he was plenty surprised at the offer. He didn’t know Emmeline, but she was very good looking and charismatic and he supposed that she was popular among the student body. She really wanted to go out with _him_?

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine,” Emmeline added, not appearing any less confident.

“No, no, no, I don’t want to!” Remus burst out, and she flinched. “No, that’s not what I meant. What I _meant,_ is that I don’t not want to. I mean, I _do_ want to.” He cringed as Emmeline’s mouth turned up into an amused smile. “Sorry. What I’m trying to say is, I would be interested in going to get coffee with you.”

Emmeline’s smile got brighter, and she took out her phone from her jacket pocket. “Great, put your number in and I’ll text you later.”

Once Remus eventually disentangled himself from Emmeline’s attention, he was startled to find Sirius waiting for him outside of the classroom, leaning against the doorframe. When Remus exited, he looked up. “What was that about?”

“What?” Remus feigned confusion.

Sirius rolled his eyes, standing up straight and gesturing that they walk together; Remus obliged. “What did Emmeline Vance want with you?”

“Ah. Well, she asked if I wanted to go out for coffee sometime,” he admitted reluctantly.

Sirius’ eyebrows shot up at once. “ _Really_? What did you say?”

“I mean, I said yes. I didn’t want to be rude.”

“Oh. So you’re going out, then,” Sirius’ voice sounded somewhat indignant, maybe a bit hurt. Remus felt a spike of alarm trail down his spine. Had Sirius gone out with Emmeline before, and now he was breaking some sort of “bro code” by agreeing to meet up with her?

“Is she your ex or something, I’m really sorry if I crossed a line. I can go tell her I’d rather not…”

“No!” Sirius stopped in his tracks, spinning to face Remus. He seemed to realize how loud he had been, and his eyes widened apologetically. “Sorry, that was unnecessary. Vance is definitely not an ex-girlfriend of mine. I don’t know why I reacted like that. Sorry.”

Although slightly dumbfounded, Remus laughed. “It’s alright. It just sounded to me like I’d done something unspeakable for a second. That’s my bad.”

They kept walking. “No worries,” Sirius replied breezily. They turned a corner into an empty hallway, and he gave Remus a light shove in the side. “How is it you’ve not been here a month and you’ve snatched up a date before the rest of us?”

Remus, unprepared as he was for the push Sirius had given him, stumbled ungracefully to the side. As he landed quite awkwardly, he felt a sharp pain in his left knee. _The_ knee. He let out an involuntary gasp of pain as he grabbed onto Sirius’ shoulder for support, who looked shocked.

“Moony, are you okay?” Remus inhaled sharply through his nose but did not respond. Instead, he released his friend and hobbled over to the windowsill, clutching it as he bent his knee back and forth, testing it. The pain was subsiding, but lingering still when his leg straightened.

“Are you okay?” Sirius repeated, walking over. “What happened?”

“It’s just my knee,” Remus responded through gritted teeth. “Just acts up sometimes when I land on it wrong.”

Sirius’ eyes widened fearfully. “Is it because I pushed you? Oh my God, I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you!” His voice was heavily laced with guilt. Remus softened up a little. It wasn’t Sirius’ fault.

“It’s okay, Padfoot, it’s not at all your fault. I was just caught off guard, is all. This happens sometimes.” Sirius eased up slightly, but his expression remained heavily apologetic.

“Can you walk back to the dorm?” He asked.

Remus nodded. “I think so, we’ll have to take it slow, though.”

Sirius offered his shoulder, which Remus leaned on after some hesitation. They didn’t make it very far, however; there was still an unforgiving twinging that sparked every time his foot made contact with the floor. “Fuck, hold on.” He halted and eased his leg up off the ground.

“How about we nip into the bathroom for a few minutes and let you sit down, rest it a bit,” Sirius suggested kindly.

“I don’t want to make a fuss.”

“Oh, stop it. You’re not helping anybody by forcing yourself to walk on it” Sirius urged, sounding stern. It reminded Remus of his mother. So he decided to obey.

“Fine,” he said in defeat. Sirius grinned in victory and slung Remus’ arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight as they made their way down the hall to the bathroom. “There’s really no need to make such a production of this,” Remus glanced around, even though the corridor was completely empty.

Sirius laughed good-naturedly. “As your loyal comrade, I simply cannot allow you to walk to the bathroom unsupported, Moony.” Remus couldn’t help but grin.

Once they made it inside, Sirius helped Remus sit on the floor, his right leg splayed out in front of him. The black haired boy slid down next to him, eyeing him with an expectant eyebrow raised.

“So are you going to tell me why you experience chronic pain your knee?”

Remus pursed his lips and looked away pointedly. He really did not want to tell Sirius about it. It would feel like he was admitting some shameful weakness he had, and he didn’t want to feel weak in front of his friend. Sirius, who had been treated horribly kicked out of his home by his own family, merely for being who he was, but hadn’t let it get him down. Sirius, who was not weak at all. Not at all. What would Sirius Black think when he knew Remus was nowhere near as strong as him?

“Moony?” Sirius’ voice was quiet, unsure.

Remus rolled his neck in a circle, stretching it. He didn’t want to admit what was going on, but wouldn’t keeping the secret make him all the more weak? Maybe he needed to tell someone about it. Would that make him feel better? Only one way to find out, he thought grimly.

“I tore my ACL midway through last season,” he began tentatively. Sirius’ hand tightened on his right thigh. He hadn’t noticed it was there. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sirius didn’t say anything, only gazed at him with eyes full of what looked like pity. Remus felt a little indignant. He didn’t want Sirius Black’s pity. Was this really the right thing to do?

“It was the last game of the regular season,” he continued hesitantly, wringing his hands. “We’d been playing better than usual this year, but we still needed to win the last game to get a spot in the playoffs. And we were winning, until…” Remus scrunched his eyes up as he recalled the memory.

“Until what?” Sirius prompted gently.

A shaky exhale escaped Remus. “This… guy on the other team checked me hard as we both went for the ball in the air. I landed on my knee badly, and you know the tell-tale snap you hear when it happens? It was so loud. I pretty much know I was done for as soon as it hit the ground.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t win the game, if you were out,” Sirius remarked.

Remus laughed humorlessly. “Yep. First chance at the playoffs and I had to go and fuck it up.”

“ _What_?” Sirius turned so that he was facing him fully, a hard glint in his eye. “You can’t possibly think it’s your fault that your ACL was torn.”

“Nothing happened to the other guy.”

Sirus shook his head back and forth like a dog trying to dispel fleas. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard someone say.”

“Cheers.”

“I’m serious,” Remus couldn’t help but laugh; Sirius smirked a little, but his expression became earnest swiftly. “It’s completely, absolutely, most definitely not on you, okay? I want to hear you say it.”

“Completely, absolutely, definitely not on me,” Remus muttered nearly silently.

“I’m sorry?” Sirius cupped a hand to his ear. “I need more gumption in that declaration, Moony!”

Remus sighed and repeated it louder, “It was completely, absolutely, _most_ definitely not my fault.”

“That’s the conviction I’m looking for,” he sounded satisfied, but his face became confused once again. “Wait. So if you’re still hurting sometimes, are you not fully healed? Should you even be playing?”

Remus shivered. “I’ve been told countless times I’m healed. And I want to believe that. But the past few months since I’ve been able to run again, I guess I’ve been favoring the knee a lot, been really hesitant. So the muscle there is still weak sometimes. When I land in a similar position to when it… happened… I convince myself that it hurts. It’s gotten to the point where it actually does hurt, like it did now. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he hid his head in his hands.

He felt Sirius’ hands grasp his own and peel them away from his face. The slender fingers clasped around his own, and Remus felt his breath hitch, too nervous to say anything.

“There’s not a thing wrong with you, Remus Lupin.” It was a simple statement, and it shouldn’t have affected Remus too much. Yet he felt it, perhaps deep in his stomach somewhere, or his heart, a release. Like a pressure lifting and flying out the window. He felt a whole bloody lot better hearing those words. Sirius’ grey eyes, almost but not quite silver, bore into his.

“Sirius.” The name hung in the air, untouched. For a few moments, Remus let himself revel in the feeling of Sirius’ hands around his own, and his closeness, which he’d been trying not to think about but he just couldn’t stop.

As he snapped back into reality, Remus pulled his hands from Sirius’ grip and placed them in his lap. Sirius drew back, apprehensive. The thickness in the air dissipated immediately.

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly. “Thank you,” he managed to get in; no words seemed to want to leave his mouth. “Really.” He began to stand, his actions mirrored by his friend.

“‘Course,” Sirius said briskly, brushing his hands on his trousers. “You think you can make it back to the dorm now?”

“Yeah, let’s give it a shot,” Remus pushed himself off the wall and tested his leg. It felt normal, pretty much. Why’d he have to go and make a big deal out of everything?

The walk back to Gryffindor Tower was silent, but not in an entirely uncomfortable way. There wasn’t really any need to talk. Remus had shared his secret with Sirius, and that was that. It was just like when Sirius had talked about his predicament with Regulus and the rest of his family. It was just easy for them to tell each other things, it seemed. Remus liked that.

Outside the dormitory room, Sirius paused and turned to Remus. “If you want, I can do some research on ACL and knee strengthening exercises, and we can do them together before or after practices. If you’d like.”

Remus was taken aback by the boy’s generosity. “Y-you really don’t have to do that,” he stammered.

Sirius gave him a smile, a genuine one. “I want to,” he replied earnestly. “Besides, it would help me anyway. Injury prevention, or something of that sort.”

Remus could only nod. Sirius opened the door and immediately ran to flop onto his bed. Remus followed more slowly, silently chastising himself for agreeing to spend even more time with his friend when it would only increase his attraction. Or were there feelings involved now, too? Remus rubbed a hand over his face frustratedly, sending the notion far, far away to the back of his mind.

_Sirius Black, what the hell am I going to do with you?_


End file.
